Imposter syndrome starts from within and is often made up of ideas and opinions we have made up about ourselves. Imposter syndrome often thrives irrespective of environment or even other people’s opinion.

Merriam Webster defines “imposter syndrome” as a psychological condition that is characterized by persistent doubt concerning one’s abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one’s ongoing success. For us general liability attorneys, the emphasis in that definition is “condition.” It is often argued that a plaintiff’s injuries were not causally related to the incident because the plaintiff suffered from a condition rather than sustained an injury. Like this defense theory, imposter syndrome starts from within and is often made up of ideas and opinions we have made up about ourselves. Imposter syndrome often thrives irrespective of environment or even other people’s opinion.

Originally published in The Legal Intelligencer - April 4, 2024.